Suicide by Close-Range Gunshot Wound to the Bridge of the Nose

Suicidal gunshot wounds to the nasal bridge are rare, particularly at close range (defined as muzzle of the weapon not touching the skin surface, but near enough to deposit soot and stippling). Previously reported suicidal gunshot wounds to the nose have been through the left nostril (Forensic Sci Int 1995;71(1):25–31; J Forensic Radiol Imag 2013;1(2):63–7). The death of a 26-year-old man with a close-range gunshot wound to the bridge of the nose was deemed suicide due to history, scene, and autopsy findings. These findings included previous suicidal ideation, texted and written notes, the decedent's cross-legged position seated on the floor, the trajectory of the bullet through his head and into the ceiling fan and roof above him, and acute alcohol intoxication. This decedent may have been intending a hard contact forehead location but inadvertently fired the gun into the bridge of his nose while bending forward, prior to contact.     

Atherosclerotic and Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease are Associated with Death at Sublethal Carboxyhemoglobin Levels: A Postmortem Study

Residential fires are a significant cause for morbidity and mortality in the United States. Death is often the result of soot and smoke inhalation causing carbon monoxide (CO) toxicity. The approximate lethal level of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) in healthy adults has been well described. However, a significant number of medical examiner cases involve infirmed decedents, often elderly, with complex cardiovascular disease burdens. It is well known that death in these cases will occur at sublethal levels of COHb; however, increased lethality has been largely documented via anecdotal experience and lacks quantification. Fifty-five cases were identified where death resulted from smoke and soot inhalation suffered in a residential fire. The control group, with no cardiovascular disease, had an age-adjusted mean COHb level of 61.6% at the time of death. Presence of hypertensive cardiovascular disease showed a 30% reduction in COHb (age-adjusted mean 43.2%), atherosclerotic disease showed a 33% reduction (age-adjusted mean 41.5%), and combined disease presentation accounted for 41% reduction (age-adjusted mean 36.3%). When controlling for age, atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular diseases were each associated with statistically significant decreases in COHb (p < 0.01). Increasing age was associated with decreased COHb levels at 2.8% per 10 years of life (p < 0.01), even when modeled with hypertensive and atherosclerotic disease. These findings carry important public health significance, as well as practical significance for the medical examiner when interpreting COHb levels in cases of suspected deaths due to smoke and soot inhalation.     

An Evaluation of Standardized Software for Processing GC/MS Data from Different Vendors' Instruments in a Forensic Laboratory

Forensic science laboratories perform analyses on a variety of materials using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Instruments from different vendors may be used, requiring analysts to be proficient in the use of multiple proprietary software packages for collecting and processing data. There is no standardized GC/MS software available that can acquire data from different vendors' instruments. However, there are third‐party processing software products that can import data files in different formats. The Centre of Forensic Sciences compared the data processing performance of one such product, ACD/MS Manager Suite, with three instrument vendors' software used for casework analysis. This product was tested for its compatibility with the existing software, its capability to load and present data, and to initiate searches of commercial libraries. The study shows that the MS Manager module provides a means for the forensic analyst to view, process, and report on data from different sources in one software package.     

用人单位单方解除劳动合同的理性反思和制度完善——以解雇保护的正当性与合理性为视角

实践中,越来越多的劳动争议案件的发生是围绕用人单位单方解除劳动合同产生的。用人单位单方解除权的滥用,一方面会威胁劳动者的生存权,另一方面也必然会影响劳动关系的稳定,甚至会影响整个社会的和谐。笔者在介绍解雇自由和解雇保护的概念及相关发展的基础上,分别从自然法、经济学、社会学角度对解雇保护的正当性进行了论述,指出我国对用人单位的单方解除权进行限制是正当的,也是符合国际立法趋势的。然后透过司法实践遇到的问题指出我国劳动合同法中解雇保护的不足和缺陷,并在参照国外成功立法的基础上,提出了完善我国用人单位单方解除劳动合同的立法建议,希望通过事前、事中、事后的全方面规制完善来形成一套完整的解雇保护制度,达到效率和公平的最佳平衡点,体现合理性。     

谈中国关于空间碎片的立法不足

空间碎片现在已经成为外太空的主要污染源,各国航天事业需要共同攻破的课题。鉴于空间事故的屡次发生,对于空间碎片的探讨已提上日程。通过对中国参加的相关国际条约和中国国内空间的立法研究,发现国际条约中并没有具体的界定空间碎片的概念,更没有具体的条款来规范空间碎片,而国内关于空间的立法里亦没有提及到空间碎片。为了更好的发展我国航天事业,应该进一步完善我国国内空间立法,使航天事业的发展有法可依,有法可循。     

企业消防队经常性思想政治工作研究

企业消防队的经常性的思想政治工作,要争取在党支部主导下形成合力,并把“四有”教育融入其中,此外还要注意实行“三个结合”,处理好“三个关系”。     

On the margins of soy farms: traditional populations and selective environmental policies in the Brazilian Cerrado

In the Cerrado, the expansion of soybean cultivation since the 1990s has coincided with the strengthening of environmental regulations. We analyze how the two main environmental policies – Protected Areas and the Forest Code – have played out at the ground level in western Bahia state. These policies in Cerrado have not been designed to curb the expansion of this agricultural frontier. These norms have, on the contrary, accommodated this expansion because the way environmental managers selectively choose environmental problems and publicize them through specific information systems depreciates traditional fire-dependent production systems. These ‘politics of selection’ are likely to increase competition for resources in the margins of soybean agriculture, which is where traditional populations have now become confined.     

消防强制的法律思考

消防强制,属于消防行政主体的具体行政行为,是施加于有关消防行政相对人的强制性行为,目的是为了维护公共安全,在消防行政过程中是适时必要的。消防强制可以分为消防强制预防和消防强制制止,二者是消防强制执行的具体行为。适用消防强制重在理解其基本含义和把握其操作规则,同时作好相应的司法救济工作,存在突出问题可以通过立法解决。     

谈公安消防监督新机制的构建

我国现有的消防管理体制使得消防部门、公安派出所、消防责任主体各自的职能作用发挥不够,不利于消防监督效能的综合发挥。应当构建“政府统一领导、部门依法监管、单位全面负责、群众积极参与”的消防工作格局．理顺公安机关与消防部门的关系,在公安机关内部建立专门的消防监督工作机构,进一步完善派出所消防监督工作,强化消防安全责任主体意识,切实加大消防隐忠整治力度。     

消防监督管理要适应市场经济发展要求

消防监督管理是预防和减少火灾的基本手段,是公安消防机构的重要职责。要使消防监督管理适应市场经济发展要求,必须使其由行政管理向依法监督转变,着力提高消防监督人员的执法水平,营造良好的消防监督软环境,建立完善的消防法律法规体系。